Nightshade
by PhantomWraith
Summary: They hunted me and my kin, but that ends today. From now on, I'm the one hunting them and I won't stop until they're all dead. No one messes with my friends and gets away with it. Naruto/Aisha pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Tomb Raider: Legend, or Outlaw Star.

Nightshade

Chapter 1

He growled softly as he watched the team of ten armored figures continued on their search through the desert sands of Wind Country. He knew why they were here, he knew why the Guild had sent them.

Naruto turned and went back to his Kitsune, a dark crimson two-wheeled all-terrain vehicle that he had built himself. The tires were roughly four feet in diameter and set in the front and the rear with a V12 twin-turbo engine on top of the rear tire that powered the vehicle. The chassis was covered in dark crimson armor panels with two stationary machine guns set on either side of the tire at 45 degree downward angles and twin dual exhaust flanking the rear tire.

Turning it on, Naruto drove off, knowing full well that the Guild was hunting him down to capture and/or kill him. He was wearing a pair of baggy black pants, black steel-toe boots, a black sleeveless turtleneck, black elbow-length fingerless gloves, black metal bracers on his forearms, black metal greaves on his shins under his pants, black ANBU body armor on his torso with a black hood attached to the collar and pulled up over his head, black sleeveless trench coat that went down to his ankles, Excalibur strapped across his back, a pendant made of black stone with a skull engraving hung from a black leather collar around his neck, clipped to his belt were a pair of twin black Chakra Saber hilts that he had made in the likeness of the Nidaime's old Raijin no Ken (only far more refined and much more powerful), short-barrled blaster rifles holstered on his thighs, four thermal detonators and four concussive grenades were clipped to the back of his belt, a set of binoculars was clipped to the front-left side of his belt, and his communicator was clipped to the front-right side of his belt.

Naruto- 23 years old and 6'9"- had long crimson hair twisted into a thick braid in the back, deep crimson eyes with slitted pupils surrounded by black sclera, his nails were long and sharp black claws, his canine teeth were long and sharp fangs, his whisker marks were dark and jagged, and he was also well-muscled much like that of a master martial artist or street fighter.

Excalibur. Naruto's most prized possession and a weapon he was infamous for. Excalibur was a unique sword made of black stone that had a curved blade and a second, slightly smaller blade attached near the tip. It was an ancient sword of legend that had existed for millenia upon millenia, almost always scattered across the world in pieces before coming together to form a nigh undefeatable weapon so long as it was held in the proper hands. Naruto just happened to be the only person to now of its existence and hunt down every last piece.

"God damn pirates..." Naruto growled as he spotted a Kei dropship enter the atmosphere and land no more than a few miles from his position. It had been almost ten years since they he and the Kei pirates had run into each other, which led to them chasing him to his home planet, Caltorin. Since then, they had been hunting him down.

Naruto was fed up with it and he was going to finish it in style. He had already planted the explosives on each of their ships orbiting Caltorin along with every Kei base on the planet. The explosives he used on each of the ships were roughly a hundred sets of thirty pounds of plastique with seal-based detonaters linked with a master explosive made up of fifty pounds of plastique set up in the communications room of each ship. The bases were rigged in a similar way.

Naruto was a guy who didn't believe in over-kill...just over-achievement...

Biting his thumb and running it over the activation seal inked on a a metal plate, Naruto grinned as dozens upon dozens of explosions lit up the night sky and the horizon, echoes rumbling in the distance. His grin vanished when the ground in front of him collapsed, the cavernous maw swallowing him and his Kitsune. Working hastily, Naruto scrawled a sloppy reverse-summoning seal on a kunai and threw it out of the earthen crevice, activating it moments later.

It was only when he felt a pull far stronger than a short-range summoning suddenly tug at him that Naruto realized he had messed up the seal. Grabbing hold of his bike, Naruto vanished in flash of light...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Tomb Raider: Legend, or Outlaw Star.

Nightshade

Chapter 2

"Oof!" Naruto grunted as he hit the ground face first, his Kitsune landing on it's wheels perfectly a few meters away. Eye twitching in disbelief, Naruto dragged himself to his feet and limped over to his bike. It was then that he took notice of his surroundings. He was in an alley in some city and luckily, no one noticed that him _dropping in_ for a _visit_.

One thing for sure was that he _definitely_ wasn't in Wind Country anymore. He didn't recognize the city from any records he knew of, but he had a feeling he was still in the same galaxy. That was a good thing. Hearing a siren going off a few blocks down, Naruto hoped on his bike, tapped the gas, and slowly weaved through the dumpsters and trash cans until he got out onto the street.

As he thought, a few blocks down was a police car and a crowd of people watching as a dead cyborg was pulled out of the bar with several gunshot wounds throughout his chest, one in the head, and a knife wound to his left side. A red haired man with scars all over him was off to one side while a cop counted out some bills before handing them to the red head, most likely the bounty for the cyborg.

Deciding to keep track of the man, Naruto pulled out a small disc no bigger than the nail on his pinkey finger before tossing it at the guy's car, watching as it attached to the rear bumper. Checking his communicator, Naruto saw that the tracker was activated and he was now recieving a rather strong signal. Dismissing the man for now, Naruto decided to get some information on where he was and anything else that might prove useful to him.

"This is going to be a _looong_ night..." Naruto mumbled as he drove off, unaware of a blonde woman wearing sunglasses watching him as he left...

Next day

Naruto narrowed his eyes and sipped at his drink as he listened in on the conversation Gene, the red head from last night, was having with a blonde named Rachel Sweet. He didn't trust her, she was hiding something. Then again, Naruto rarely trusted anybody. As they left, Naruto quietly followed after them, having already paid for his drink.

It was quite easy to remain hidden as he trailed them for a little while, having been one of the best shinobi around on Caltorin. He was following them for a couple reasons. One, he had nothing else to do. Two, he had a feeling they would keep his life interesting. Naruto's assumption was proven right when a masked figure jumped down from an adjacent building, a yin-yang symbol emblazed on the person's chest armor. He recognized the man as a Kei pirate, though only cannon fodder.

Naruto watched intently as the man became three and said something he couldn't quite hear before attacking the pair. Drawing Excalibur, Naruto darted out from the shadows and speared one guy on his sword before dodging a claw swipe from another, quickly slashing through the man's chest. The third one was taken out by Gene with a bullet to the neck.

"Hehe...I was right to follow you. You _are_ interesting..." Naruto mumbled as he flicked his stone sword to the side, flinging the blood off of it, before sheathing it on his back.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Gene asked as he aimed his gun at Naruto. In response, Naruto raised his hands in a gesture of non-hostility, grinning slightly.

"A friend. I'm new around here and I have nothing to do. Ergo, you interested me the other day and I decided to keep tabs on you while collecting a bit of info on where I am. Blondie here also sparked my curiousity." Naruto replied, grinning a bit viciously, bearing his fangs slightly. "Mind if I join you two? I always loved a challenge and you guys prove to be exactly that."

"Hell-" Gene started to shout, but Rachel cut him off. "Sure. I can always use another bodyguard." The blonde replied with a smile just as Jim pulled up. They both turned to face the 11 year old and Gene started talking with the kid before turning back around to face...Nothing? Scratching the back of his head, Gene ignored it for now before getting in the car with Rachel.

As they drove off, Naruto smirked before dropping down on the other side of the building and getting on his Kitsune, already knowing where they were headed. He knew this 'Rachel' character had something to do with the Kei pirates and wasnt exactly telling the truth about everything. Taking his own path, Naruto gunned it for the agri-plant out in the wheat fields. Oh, he was going to have _fun_ tonight...

Naruto sighed as he arrived half an hour later, just a few minutes behind his new-found 'friends', and pulled up behind the building the three were in. Turning in through one of the loading bay door in the back, Naruto slowly made his way to the front on his bike.

"Sorry for being late, but a black cat crossed my path and I had to go the long way around." Said Naruto as he turned his bike off. He then noticed the dark haired woman with the eye patch. He stared at her in disbelief. "Hilda?"

"Hello, Naruto. Long time, no see, eh?" Hilda replied as Jim continued repairing her damaged prosthetic, but was still listening.

"Wait, wait, wait...Hold on a minute. You two know each other?" Gene asked as he looked between the two. Naruto growled quietly and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the woman.

"Yeah. The bitch owes me a new car." Naruto snarled.

"Hey, _you_ were the one driving the damn thing!" Hilda shot back, glaring back with her one golden yellow eye.

"_You_ shot my car! With a damn rocket launcher, at that!" Naruto growled at the brunette as he stepped forward, hands just itching to go for his Chakra Sabers.

"Shut up, both of you!" Jim snapped as he smacked them both upside the head with a pair of sticks he found on the ground. Before either of them could get back at the kid, Naruto perked up and looked out the window, eyes narrowed.

"What is it, Naruto? What do you hear?" Hilda asked as she tensed, having worked with Naruto enough in the past to know when the man is on full alert.

"Your buddies are back...and they want that girl." Naruto growled quietly while grinning viciously, referring to the girl currently being resuscitated as she sat in the large case, curled up in the fetal position. "You guys get out of here. I'll deal with the pirates."

Before anyone could say anything, Naruto had already jumped back on his bike and hit the gas, the rear tire spitting out smoke as it spun rapidly. He suddenly took off at blinding speeds, bashing through the front door with Excalibur drawn.

"You heard him. Get moving! My dropship isn't far from here." Hilda barked out as she turned towards the back while putting her cybernetic arm back on. She and Jim ran out the back to get to her dropship while Gene stayed behind to guard Melfina.

Naruto laughed insanely as he ran over a couple Kei pirates and beheaded a handful more before using the guns on his Kitsune to mow down the last few. Jumping off his bike and landing a few feet away from the old man, Naruto held Excalibur at the ready.

"Ne, oji-san...mind just having a heart attack and dying for me?" Naruto taunted, causing the old Tao Master to start chanting angrily.

"Not today, fucker!" Naruto shouted as he slashed Excalibur vertically in front of him from the ground up, the blade expelling a sickly acidic green cresent of smoke-like energy that cancelled out the man's spell. At the same time, Hilda came around in her dropship and provided cover fire for Naruto as he jumped back on his Kitsune and sped back to the ship.

He saw Jim and Gene- who was carrying Melfina in his arms with his coat wrapped around her- run up the boarding ramp. Reaching the ship a minute later, Naruto simply drove up the ramp and got off once he was inside. As they took off into space and docked with Hilda's ship, Horus, Naruto couldn't help frowning as he had not been able to kill the old man.

Naruto had a dark history with Tao users and hated them with a passion that not even the Kyuubi would attempt getting in his way. Vowing revenge, Naruto turned from the window and strapped himself into a chair behind Gene, Jim, and Melfina. The pendant around his neck glowed momentarily without anyone noticing before dying back down...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Tomb Raider: Legend, or Outlaw Star.

Nightshade

Chapter 3

Naruto sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring Swanzo and the others as he leaned against his Kitsune, having removed it from Horus not long after they docked. Naruto turned his gaze on Hilda. Despite his appearant dislike for the woman due to wrecking his old car, Naruto liked her quite a bit. He saw her as a sister, as family, and she saw him as a brother. Shaking his head to clear it, Naruto followed after Hilda and the others as they made their way to the city.

"Yo, this is where we go our separate ways. I have things to take care of that will take me a bit of time. I'll see you guys around, ok?" Naruto declared with a grin before walking away, waving to them over his shoulder.

"Hey, Naruto! Wait a minute!" Hilda called out, making Naruto turn around with a curious expression. She tossed a small package at him. "I figured it was about time I paid you back for destroying your car. You'll understand later when you open the package."

"Heh...Thanks, Hilda. Take care of yourself, ok?" Naruto replied as he vanished in a swirl of black smoke. Reappearing on the other side of Blue Heaven, Naruto sat down on a bench and opened the package. Inside, he found a set of keys, a piece of paper with coordinates and a code written on it, a disc, and a black business card with red markings on it.

Scratching his head in confusion, Naruto tried to make heads or tails of what it all meant. Shrugging, he put it all in his pockets and went to collect an old friend of his...

"It's been quite some time..." Naruto started as he gazed upon the armored machine before him. "Hasn't it, Yoko?"

Standing before him was a UCAV- Unmanned Combat Assault Vehicle- that Naruto had built in the image of his old friend and tenant, who had passed away a few years ago. The machine looked exactly like a large mechanized fox with nine fully-articulated tails, razor sharp claws on its paws, dagger-like teeth in its muzzle, and weapons hidden within its obsidian armor. Placing his hand on top of its muzzle, the singular crimson eye set in its head glowed bright before its body started moving, standing up from its lying position.

"Ah, you're awake, I see. And you can still move. That's good. It would have been a pain in the ass to try and repair you." Naruto whispered softly as he placed his left hand on top of Yoko's head, petting it softly. The machine made a purring sound and leaned into his touch, its nine tails waving back and forth slightly in appreciation. "Come, Yoko. We have work that needs to be done."

Shaking its body to free itself of the dust that had gathered on its body, Yoko did as asked and followed its creator as said red head opened the large metal door to the storage unit. As they made it outside of the warehouse, Naruto turned back to his long-time friend and partner.

"Gomen nasai, but I have to go take care of something, Yoko, and I can't take you with me. Go to Hangar 8 and guard the Kitsune for me, ok? I'll meet you there soon." Said Naruto as he placed his hand on the fox's head again. With what sounded like a soft whine, Yoko nodded and walked away, tails drooping slightly.

Turning back around, Naruto decided to look for any ships that might be for sale. Checking a local restaurant, Naruto got lucky when he spotted a small flier tacked to a board near the door. It was a ship similar to Horus' class, but it was shaped much like an arrow head and a bit more heavily armed/armored, something that Naruto knew he would require later on. Glancing at the price and the seller, Naruto grinned. It would cost him over eighty thousand wong, but he figured it would be worth it. Besides, it was about time Naruto spent the money he had been saving all these years. Plus, Swanzo was a good friend of his and Hilda's, so he might be able to drop the price a bit.

Then he noticed something...or rather, some_one_...

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you, Gene?" Naruto asked with a laugh as he walked over to the red head, who was now holding a knife with a shattered blade. Lying on the ground in front of him, groaning in hunger, was a rather beautiful Ctarl-Ctarl woman. Lifting her up bridal style, Naruto noticed the woman blush as she opened her mouth to protest.

"Hush you." Naruto told her with a mild glare to shut her up, which she did. "If you want food, you'll be a good girl and behave yourself."

Leading everyone back to the restaurant he had just been at a moment ago, Naruto set the woman down in a chair before sitting down beside her while Gene, Melfina, and Jim took the rest of the seats at the table. After letting everyone know he was paying and that they could order what they want, Naruto and the others placed their orders. It wasn't until after everyone had had their fill that Naruto broke the silence.

"So...Where's Hilda?" Naruto asked curiously while scratching his neck. At this, Gene flinched and looked down, Jim did the same thing, and Melfina looked down sadly. Aisha, the Ctarl-Ctarl woman, looked a bit troubled as well. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the trio before him, leaving Aisha out of it since she wasn't with Hilda at the time, and started growling softly.

"Where. Is. She?" Naruto growled out through clenched teeth as he grabbed Gene by his shirt collar and pulled him closer, deep crimson orbs glaring straight into the man's eyes. "What happened to my sister?"

"...She's dead...Kei Pirates attacked us in an attempt to steal back a ship Hilda had taken from them...If it helps, she went down fighting tooth and nail..." Gene whispered sadly, looking away as Naruto let him go in shock. Eyes wide, Naruto leaned back in his chair. Closing his eyes, Naruto stood up and paid for the food before walking outside, eyes dim with sorrow. Everyone watched as he left, but only one followed after him.

Stopping in the same garden area that Gene and Aisha had been in, Naruto leaned against the railing and stared off into the distance, his face blank. Even his mind was blank. Suddenly, the sound of groaning metal caught his attention. Looking down, Naruto saw that he had bent and twisted the railing in his hands without thinking.

Sighing softly, Naruto slumped down in one of the benches. He didn't even react when he was joined by another person. He didn't even react when said person wrapped an arm around his shoulders comfortingly. He _did_ react, however, when that same person pulled him into a hug.

Wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, Naruto held Aisha tightly and buried his face against her shoulder. He didn't cry, just held on to the woman tightly. In fact, Naruto _couldn't_ cry anymore. He had Kyuubi alter his tear ducts at the age of fourteen after making a vow never to cry again just so he could no longer cry. However, if he hadn't done that, Naruto would be crying right now. He had lost his surrogate sister and what made it worse was that he wasn't there to try and stop it from happening.

"Shh...shhh...Calm down..." Aisha cooed into his ear as she rocked back and forth, trying to calm the red head. She understood the man's pain. She had lost her best friend a few years ago in a car crash. She had been devastated for weeks. Deciding to try something her mother had done to calm her down, Aisha started to quietly hum a soft lullaby in his ear.

Amazingly enough, it started to work, bringing a small smile to Aisha's face as Naruto relaxed against her and started purring softly. After a few minutes, Naruto slowly let go of Aisha and gave her a soft smile of appreciation before leaning back against the bench. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Naruto stood up and patted her shoulder before slowly walking away.

"W-Wait! Where are you going?" Aisha blurted out, not really wanting him to go. She blushed slightly when Naruto gave her a smile as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Don't know yet. I'm going to go buy a ship and make a pit stop on Heifong III for some supplies before going back to Sentinel III to say hello to a friend of mine. After that?" Naruto explained vaguely before shrugging to himself. "I don't really know. Might start my own business like Gene and Jim did. Who knows?"

"Oh...Um...Naruto?" Aisha asked hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to hear his answer to her next question. "Would you...like to get something to eat next time we see each other? Or a cup of coffee?"

"Sure. I would like that." Naruto replied with a smile before facing forward again and wave over his shoulder. "Thanks for for being there for me, Aisha. Until next time."

Aisha blushed again before going to meet back up with the others, not saying a word to them about their little moment together. In her eyes, it was something special only the two of them shared. Besides, she still had to repay him somehow for treating her to a meal when she was starving earlier...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Tomb Raider: Legend, or Outlaw Star.

Nightshade

Chapter 4

Dropping the crate down on top of another, Naruto huffed and leaned against it, breathing hard. It had been nearly six months since Hilda's death and he found out. Just like he had told Aisha, Naruto had bought his ship, stopped by Heifong III for supplies, and returned to Sentinel III. At the moment, he was loading his ship with the weapons and ammunition he had purchased for his ship and Yoko. All purchased from Fred Luo.

Sitting in front of a large container on the other side of the cargo hold was Yoko, staring intently at the container. Inside was an unfinished project that Naruto was working on, but never said anything about it to Yoko or anyone else. However, Yoko still found out what he was building and it kind of irked him right now since the metal fox could be a big help right now with loading the ship.

"Love-sick fox..." Naruto mumbled as he smiled and shook his head before going to get another crate. As he continued to load his ship, he himself started feeling a bit love-sick. Ever since he had been comforted by Aisha all those months ago, Naruto had been feeling rather lonely without her. At first, he thought it was because of his surrogate sister's death, but he eventually got over the loss and later figured out he was falling for Aisha. He wasn't sure about her, but he now knew for certain that he held strong feelings for the cat-like woman.

Shaking his head to clear it, Naruto set down the last crate and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a nearby rag before wiping the oil off his hands from handling some machine parts earlier. He was wearing his usual working clothes; baggy black pants with a few rips and tears on them, a grey skin-tight muscle shirt, black steel-toe boots, and black fingerless gloves with special pads on the palms to help grip things better.

"Geez...I'm getting worse with every day, aren't I?" Naruto asked Yoko as said fox stepped up beside him and brushed shoulders with him while giving a soft growl. "Heh...I guess you're right, Yoko. I do miss her."

Closing the cargo hold doors, Naruto went to his quarters to take a shower and change his clothes. When he came out, he was wearing the same attire as he did six months ago. However, he had forgone trench coat a while back and started wearing a black scarf wrapped around his neck and pulled up to hide the lower half of his face, the hood pulled up to hide his hair. That is, whenever he went out in public.

"Come on, Yoko. We have to leave now if we're going to give Iris and Clyde that case of new glasses we got them last week." Naruto called out to his mechanical vulpine companion as he exited the ship and got on his Kitsune. His ship, which he had painted pitch black, was named Wraith since he had upgraded it to the point his ship was virtually invisible at all times and could deal a devastating blow to any ship that tries to attack him.

Yoko jogged over to him before they both took off down the road, looking like a pair of red and black blurs as they sped by. When they reached the bar, Naruto noticed a red car that seemed familiar to him, but he dismissed it for now as he reached into the saddle bags on his Kitsune and pulled out the two metal cases of new glasses he had bought for Clyde while on Heifong III last week. Walking through the door, Naruto went to the counter and placed the cases on the bar.

"Oi! Old Man!" Naruto called out to Clyde, who was in the back. His back turned toward the rest of the bar, Naruto took a seat at the bar. Clyde came out a moment later and grinned as he caught sight of Naruto. Sitting at a table in the back of the bar was Melfina, Jim, and Gene- who had gotten himself a hair cut recently. Naruto remained unaware of the trio.

"Ah, you're back already? I didn't expect you back for another two or three days." Clyde stated as he glanced at the cases. "Those them?"

"Yep! They're all yours." Naruto answered cheerfully as he popped the latches on both cases and opened them before turning them towards Clyde. "Shot glasses, beer mugs, martini glasses, margarita glasses, and several other kinds. All of them are frosted white crystal. Cost me a pretty penny, so do take good care of them."

"Oh, no need to worry about that, my friend. I'll be taking _very_ good care of these." Clyde assured him as he closed the cases and placed them on a shelf built into the bar counter. "So how's business?"

"Eh, so-so. Been hard finding a hit with a good sized bounty. Plus, I work alone, so those odd jobs pile up on good days and then I'm stuck having to prioritize everything. When that happens, things get put on the back burner, clients get mad, and they go to someone else." Naruto sighed and motioned for Clyde to make him a drink, the older man already knowing what he wanted. "All in all, it just sucks working alone. If I just had at least one partner, the business would do better."

Taking a sip of his Ty Ku White, Naruto chuckled as he watched Yoko staring at a black cat with a ring of white fur around its neck just outside the bar. Yoko was lying down on the ground, staring at the cat curiously as it stared back at Yoko in curiousity as well.

"It seems Yoko made himself a new friend, eh, Old Man?" Naruto asked with a grin as he directed the man's attention to Yoko and the cat. Clyde laughed a bit at that. Handing the older man the needed money for his drink, Naruto drank the last drop of his liquor before passing the glass back. Normally, someone who drank Ty Ku White would be rather tipsy, but Naruto was different. His body naturally removed the alchoholic toxins and burned it out of his system before he could even feel a buzz. Most of the time, Naruto only drank for the taste or to pass time.

"Well, I'll be seing you around, Old Man. Have to make sure Yoko doesn't get himself into any trouble." Said Naruto as he got up and left the bar after thanking Clyde for the drink. As he left, Gene walked over to Clyde.

"Who was that just now?" The scarred red head asked as he leaned against the counter. Clyde glanced at him and smirked, knowing full-well that Naruto wanted to keep a low profile, which is why neither mentioned one another's names. Plus, it was amusing when other people got confused and than upset when they can't figure out who Naruto is.

"Oh, just an old friend of mine. Good customer, too." Clyde remarked casually, inwardly laughing when he saw a tic mark appear on Gene's forehead.

"I meant his name." Gene growled. Clyde just smirked even more, cackling madly on the inside.

"Don't know. Never bothered to ask." The bartender replied with a straight face and nearly blew his cover when Gene dropped his head on the counter with a rather loud bang and trudged back to his table, grumbling and growling under his breath.

Naruto grinned as he side stepped another claw swipe from Yoko, retaliating with a powerful knee strike to the mechanical beast's chest, throwing Yoko back several meters. Growling as it scrambled back to its feet, Yoko was forced to dodged a powerful heel drop that cracked the pavement.

The two were having their daily sparring match to keep in tip-top shape. Naruto was always upgrading Yoko whenever he got the chance and said fox kept him on his toes since the machine was upgrading itself all the time. That was only because Naruto had improved Yoko's AI mainframe, added highly advanced nanite technology, and replaced most of the old out-dated parts with lighter, more compact parts.

This not only made Yoko lighter and faster, but also stronger, smarter, and almost as unpredictable as Naruto himself. The two were on semi-equal terms, but Naruto always had the upper-hand when it came to raw power, speed, and his enormous chakra wells.

Dodging one of Yoko's tails and flipping over the mighty beast before snap kicking it in the left flank and following it up with a round house kick to the side of its head. Skidding across the ground, sparks flying as metal met stone, Yoko started growling again and slowly pushed itself onto its feet, head low and tails flailing angrily. Naruto merely grinned madly and started growling as well, eyes alight with vicious excitement as he crouched down.

It was this scene that a certain group of people witnessed as they waited for the red head to finish. In dual streaks of black and red, the two collided in the middle. Naruto had Yoko pinned to the ground on his back, both front legs held in vice grips in his hands, and a booted foot on his neck. However, Yoko had all nine tails poised to strike vital points all over Naruto's body.

Laughing lightly, Naruto released Yoko and got off of the beast as said fox rolled back onto its feet. He then noticed his guests and growled softly in anger. Standing in the open door way of the empty warehouse were two members of an organization he hated more than Tao magic users.

"Itachi. Kisame." Naruto hissed as he bared his fangs. "How many times do I have to kick your asses to get the point across that you aren't welcome?"

"Please come with us quietly, Naruto-kun." Said Itachi as Kisame drew his zanbatou, Samehada. The shark-man was grinning like a mad man. That is, until Naruto drew Excalibur in a reverse-grip and crouched down with his free hand supporting his weight. Kisame was all too familiar with that style.

It was the one style that was once used by Kiri's most powerful Swordsman, Byakuren Byakko. The man was a legend among legends for his unpredictability, chaotic tactics, and his unmatched strength and speed. Byakko's style was called Angry Panther and Naruto was the first person to recreate it after centuries of the style being lost to the sands of time.

"Uh oh..." Kisame muttered as his face went pale when Naruto's claws grew longer, his canines grew sharper, his eyes became more feral than before, and his crimson hair started to grow wilder and shaggier. He then noticed that Naruto's eyes had turned solid crimson.

Kisame and Itachi had the same thought as they watched this happen...

_'Oh shit...'_


End file.
